1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a liquid container from which the liquid contents can be dispensed without spillage with the container in an inverted position, and specifically to a container for combustion engine oil that can be used in very limited engine compartment spaces to dispense oil into the engine without spillage through the use of a manually actuated dispenser mounted within the container.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of small hand-held containers for dispensing liquids often involves aligning the spout of the container with an opening that is to receive the liquid and inverting the container to empty its contents. When dealing with combustion engines as are found in aircraft, boats or automobiles and other machines, oftentimes the engine opening for receiving a liquid such as oil is located in an inaccessible area without sufficient maneuvering space that makes pouring awkward or almost impossible without spillage. The end result is more often than not, spillage of the oil around the engine compartment while trying to pour the oil into the proper engine opening. Devices for facilitating emptying of an oil can container into an engine oil input have been shown in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,351 issued to Garcia on Feb. 5, 1985 shows an apparatus for dispensing oil from an oil can which is used by penetrating the bottom of the oil can after the apparatus has been attached to the oil inlet. Such an apparatus requires sufficient engine compartment space to place the oil can over the cutting element and to forcibly rupture the can bottom which would be difficult in a cramped space. Likewise U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,255 issued to Strampe on Sept. 15, 1981 shows an oil filter cap which is mounted on the rocker cover in an internal combustion engine, which again requires sufficient space to maneuver the oil can over the can opening mechanism to sufficiently penetrate the can opening to empty the can.
The present device overcomes the problems of the prior art by providing a device that can be used for dispensing engine oil into an engine oil input which requires no more room than basically the length of the container itself and which can be actuated in an inverted position after the spout of the container has been placed within the engine oil inlet, eliminating any possibility of spillage.